Travels of Nannie & Bubba

April 25, 2018 Blakeley State Park, Baldwin County, Alabama

This morning, we paid a brief visit to Historic Blakeley State Park - much too brief! But we had a couple hours before meeting friends for lunch, and it is nearby. Since we were last here, they have added full-service campsites, which is a good thing to know..... Here are some pictures of this morning's adventure. (and we picked up a couple bottles of honey from bee hives right there in the park.... oh boy!)

I'm peeking out, do you see me?

April 24, 2018 Meaher State Park, Battleship Causeway, Mobile, Alabama

We love staying at Meaher State Park because it's beautiful and it's a short hop to and from our home. This campground has a wonderful boardwalk, pier, cabins, boat launch, hiking trails....

Here are a few random pictures.

Swamp lilies - so beautiful!

April 23, 2018 Bonifay, Florida

One place we stopped overnight on our way home from Naples was Bonifay, Florida. It's a small panhandle town, the kind of place where most people know one another. It being Monday, the local restaurants were mostly closed, and we didn't want any fast food. On the recommendation of a local store owner, we went to Katie's Kafe down the road in Wausau, Florida (even smaller than Bonifay) And we were not disappointed! Since it was Bubba's 74th birthday, we celebrated with the shrimp baskets - which were wonderful! Driving into Wausau, we noticed a sign naming it the Possum Capital of the World. And sure enough, there was a monument in town to the lowly possum. What a grand little adventure that evening was. The kind we love, on the back roads and in small towns.

Birthday Bubba!

Monument to the Possum.

Below are two pictures of the strangest-looking duck we ever saw in a campground. The maintenance guy stopped and said that it's a called an Indian Runner, and that there were two of them hanging around, but now there's only one. He was hoping the remaining duck was the male, and that the female was on a nest somewhere. This duck went all around our truck, looking at his reflection - I guess he was admiring his svelte figure! We see the strangest things in campgrounds....

Naples, Florida, Day 5, Friday 4/20, Botanical Gardens; family

Our morning's adventure was the Naples Botanical Gardens - and they had a special treat: DINOSAURS! Great big ones that moved and made noise, and even one that spit! Too bad it was just the two of us, I think the kids would have loved it. We visit botanical gardens everywhere we go, and this one was really spectacular. The numbers and varieties of bromeliads was incredible. There were so many amazing things to see, and we took a zillion pictures; it was hard to just pick a few. (too bad the videos we took of the dinos would not upload, bummer!)

After lunch we joined the family crew for a little beach time, but alas: the red tide was here and the high-water mark was littered with dead fish. Pee-you! Didn't stay very long! Everyone agreed it would be much nicer at the pool at the condo, so that's where we went. Swimming and snacking and generally enjoying life!

Supper was another adventure: Friday night in Naples, most nice restaurants are full, so we ended up a Party of Eight at the Wine Loft in the Mercato Plaza. Inside, upstairs on a balcony, sitting on sofas and easy chairs, and ordering appetizers and meals and desserts. What a good time!

Then it was late, and the kids had to get to bed, so it was back to the condo. Since the condo time is over tomorrow, the fridge had to be emptied of perishables (most of which came to our camper fridge, and thank you!). Birthdays for Anne and Bubba were very briefly celebrated, goodies handed out, and then it was goodbye. Such an excellent visit with my family, so much fun and love and laughter. Grateful for every precious minute.

Tomorrow begins the trek back home......